Essays

The potential of space technology for mass education, especially in terms of immediacy, omnipotence, visual power and outreach was recognised in the early 70's. Keeping in view the larger aspects of education, especially rural education, India undertook in 1975-76, the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) to telecast a series of educational TV programmes on health, family planning, agriculture, adult education etc., to cover 2,500 Indian villages via the US satellite, ATS-6. It was the largest sociological experiment ever carried out in the world.

The Satellite Telecommunication Experiment Project (STEP), conducted using Franco-German SYMPHONIE satellite during 1977-79, was another major demonstration of long distance satellite telecommunication application of space. India also launched its own APPLE (Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment), an experimental communication satellite, in June, 1981 using the opportunity offered by the European Space Agency (ESA) to launch this satellite on board the third developmental flight of ARIANE.

A major development took place during 1980's, through establishment of the operational Indian National Satellite (INSAT) system, for providing indigenous services in telecommunications, TV broadcasting, meteorology and disaster warning. INSAT series, commissioned in 1983, has today become one of the largest domestic satellite systems in the world, comprising five satellites. The last satellite of the second generation INSAT-2 series, INSAT-2E, was launched from Kourou, French Guyana on April 3,1999.

Work on INSAT-3 series of satellites has already begun. Five satellites in the INSAT-3 series have been planned and the first atellite, INSAT-3B has already been launched in March, 2000.

INSAT system has a unique design combining telecommunication, television/radio broadcasting and meteorological services into a single platform. The involvement of various users like Department of Telecommunication, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India Meteorological Department enabled proper tuning of INSAT system towards identified national developmental needs.

The demonstrated space applications in SITE and STEP of the 70's were transformed to practical and operational systems through INSAT. Today, INSAT links about 450 earth stations set up in the country, including those located in inaccessible regions and off-shore islands. Besides, there are about 8,500 Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs), including those installed by the National Informatics Centre and private networks catering to corporate houses.

Television in India now reaches about 85 percent of its population through over 1000 TV transmitters linked via INSAT. Educational programmes for over 100 hours are telecast every week. INSAT system has become a powerful tool for training and developmental education and is used by various agencies to provide continuing education, conduct in-situ training for industrial employees, social welfare personnel and training of Panchayat Raj (village governance) workers, etc.

India continues to emphasise the use of INSAT for rural upliftment. A pilot project that started in November, 1995 in a tribal district of Madhya Pradesh in Central India is now in progress to educate the tribal community on various aspects of health, hygiene, family planning, women's rights, etc. This project is being expanded to cover more villages and is expected to lead to a unique space based system that will be dedicated to the development of rural society. Similar projects are being initiated in several other states.